Jacob deGrom tops 100 mph, fans nine in victory

The Rangers are considering the possibility of placing deGrom on the injured list, but with the timing of the All-Star break they aren’t sure if it’s necessary or not yet. Either way, it sounds like the 38-year-old right-hander should only wind up missing a start or two. No word yet on who will take his place on the slab for Sunday’s first half finale.

Rangers manager Skip Schumaker told reporters afterwards that deGrom was battling a hip issue that limited him to just five innings out of an abundance of caution. The 38-year-old veteran expressed optimism that he’ll be ready to take the ball for Sunday’s first-half finale against the Astros. He gave up a pair of runs in the first inning on a walk and two hits. He then tossed four more scoreless frames, scattering three more hits and one walk while striking out seven batters. He’ll carry a solid 3.49 ERA, 1.01 WHIP, and a 122/22 K/BB ratio across 100 2/3 innings into his final first-half outing this weekend.

deGrom also struck out eight and walked two while throwing 64 percent of his pitches for strikes. He gave up only one extra base hit on the day, but it happened to be a Griffin Conine double that brought in a run in the fourth inning. deGrom was aggressive with his slider usage today, throwing the pitch 50 percent of the time, while posting a 27 percent swinging strike rate on it. His four-seam command was a bit worse, which could be why he dialed back his usage of that pitch a bit. Regardless, this was a solid outing for the veteran, who will face the Guardians next week.

Making the start on his 38th birthday, deGrom got off to a rough start in this one. He walked Fernando Tatis Jr. to start the inning and followed that up with a single to Samad Taylor. He would retire the next two batters he faced via strikeout, but would surrender an RBI single to Gavin Sheets. DeGrom would walk Xander Bogaerts in the following at-bat, and then gave up a grand slam to Ty France to put the Rangers in a 5-0 deficit before they even had a chance to swing the bats. It was the first time in deGrom’s career that he allowed five or more runs in an inning, but aside from another solo homer to France in the fourth inning, he would bounce back nicely to throw five strong innings after his disastrous first frame. It’s the third time this season that deGrom has allowed six earned runs in a start, but he continues to have a respectable 3.59 ERA and has been more solid than not thus far. He’ll look to pick up his seventh win of the season in his next start, which is scheduled for Wednesday in Miami.

It was smooth sailing for deGrom his first time through Boston’s order, but they managed to tag him for a pair of run-scoring singles in the third inning, which were enough to saddle him with a no-decision. The 37-year-old fantasy ace has allowed just two runs combined over 17 innings across three starts since June 1. He’ll face off against the Padres at Globe Life Field on Friday.

deGrom gave up three hits, walked two and struck out six. He improved to 5-4 with the win. deGrom cruised through the first two innings, retiring the first six batters of the game in order. Ultimately he made in through six innings without allowing a run. His ERA is 3.18. deGrom is lined up to face the Red Sox on the road next weekend.

It’s his 100th career victory to go along with 69 losses. The key for deGrom this year is taking on NL teams, apparently. He’s faced four and gone 4-0, allowing just two runs in 23 2/3 innings. He’s 0-4 with four no-decisions and a 5.05 ERA against AL clubs. Unfortunately (not really), deGrom’s next start will come Sunday at home against Cleveland.

The first run deGrom allowed on the evening came on a sacrifice fly in the second inning that scored Taylor Trammell from third after he doubled to lead off the inning. deGrom would later surrender a solo homer to Yordan Alvarez in the fourth inning, but otherwise did his part to limit runs and keep players off base. The veteran righty struggled in May, allowing four or more earned runs in three of his five starts while posting a 6.45 ERA on the month. His next start is scheduled for Monday on the road against the Cardinals.

DeGrom gave up a leadoff homer, two walks and another homer in a four-run first inning. He followed with an easy second, but after he allowed three singles and a walk in a two-run third, the Rangers made the rather surprising call to pull him after 65 pitches. There was nothing after the game to suggest anything physical was involved. DeGrom had decent velocity tonight, and he got 13 whiffs while allowing five hard-hit balls. He should still be fine to use against the Astros next week.

Jose Altuve and Yordan Alvarez homered in the first, and Christian Walker and Zach Cole went deep in the fourth. Aside from that, deGrom allowed just one other hit and no walks. He struck out four. It’s the second time deGrom has allowed four homers, the other time occurring in 2017 against the Cardinals. Randal Grichuk, Paul DeJong, Dexter Fowler and Jedd Gyorko were responsible then. DeGrom dropped to 3-3 with a 3.02 ERA. He’ll face the Angels next week.